By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 12: College students on Thursday exchanged views on the subject of traffic congestion in the city and the ways to tackle the problem during an inter-college debate competition organised by the Department of Mathematics, St. Mary’s College, Shillong, and partly sponsored by NEEPCO, Shillong.
The motion for the debate was ‘To alleviate traffic congestion, a prohibition on private cars should be implemented’.
Former Education Minister Manas Chaudhuri was the Speaker for the debate and the judges were Professor Sukalpa Bhattacharjee, Department of English, NEHU, Dr Binayak Dutta, Department of History, NEHU, and president of Shillong Press Club, David Laitphlang. The event was attended by teachers and students from several colleges.
During the competition, the participants discussed the potential benefits and drawbacks of implementing a prohibition on private cars as a means of easing traffic congestion. Some argued that improved planning and technology could be used to improve traffic flow, while others emphasized the need for political will and public pressure to bring about change.
At the end of the event, Debargha Sarkar from St. Anthony’s College was adjudged the ‘Best Speaker’, while the ‘Best Team’ award was given to Bina Sharma and Bidisha Gogoi of Lady Keane College.
The Speaker expressed his thoughts on the lack of public outcry and political will to address the issue. Chaudhuri highlighted that despite the roads being narrow and overcrowded, there is no significant pressure from the public to take action. He lamented that the few letters to the editor and articles submitted to newspapers are not enough to bring about change, and there is a need for political will and public pressure to make a meaningful impact. The Judges of the competition also provided valuable tips on how to debate effectively.
A takeaway from the event was that young students were not in favour of restricting vehicular movement, but they rather prioritised traffic management and adherence to rules by the public.
